Home > Category > the Ottobar

Livewire: Avec @ the Ottobar (2010.01.16)

Avec Live

Photo: Linda Kokenge

Avec is four-piece rock band from Baltimore with a punchy individualistic sound, formed in 2003. They delivered a memorable set Saturday night at Ottobar. There are some real gems here from If I Breathe I Fall Asleep (2005) and Lines (2007), along with a slow surfy instrumental you need to hear called “Ouija Boyfriend.”

Outstanding.

Avec
Ottobar
January 16, 2010
Baltimore MD, USA

Shawna Potter – guitar amd vocal
Brooks Harlan – guitar and vocal
Adam Yeargin – bass
Scott Tiemann – drums

Streaming player:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3 links:

1. Man In Space (3:58)
2. House (3:49)
3. In Character (4:51)
4. Deceptive Cadence (5:36)
5. Bozarth (5:46)
6. Ouija Boyfriend (4:52)
7. Beat of Pulse (4:53)

Total time: 33:44

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Live Review / Photos: The Dutchess and the Duke, Medication, Nerve City, Toy Soldiers @ the Ottobar (2010.01.17)

Flickrshow will appear here.

All photos: Shantel Mitchell

All words: Shawn Breen

Have you ever seen that ONE band before, that you just totally love and you want to keep them to yourself forever? That feeling of not wanting others to embrace them for fear of losing them to the masses? I feel that way about The Dutchess And The Duke. It’s a love affair, I’ll admit it. This was one of those shows that you go to where there’s 3 openers you’ve never heard of and one headlining act that you love a whole lot and can’t wait to see. In fact, I considered for half a second not even going for selfish reasons but in the end my love of The Dutchess And Duke motivated me. Sometimes you just don’t want to sit through three bands for the payoff. That’s not to slag openers but let’s face it, don’t you ever wish you could just go to a show only to see that ONE band?

Read the rest…

Photos: Cursive @ the Ottobar, Caverns @ Sonar (2009.08.08)

I did some show hopping last Saturday, first catching DC’s premiere instrumental rockers Caverns in their opening set for MD legends Clutch. Spreading their wings on the Main Stage, Caverns seemed a bit lost on the big stage. They definitely work best in smaller venues, but thankfully their massive sound fills out any gaps left untrampled by guitarist (and sole kineticist) Kevin Hilliard’s frantic scrambling and freak-outs all over the stage. Their second time opening for Clutch, they’re no stranger to the tunnel vision that often dominates the minds of many in Clutch’s fanbase. But ever resilient to chants and heckles beckoning for Clutch, they chip away more and more fans as their sound grows ever more massive in their set.  Quite possibly the loudest I’ve seen them since Aural States Fest.

They are sure to be even louder tonight at the Hexagon with bastard cousin Solar Powered Sun Destroyer, locals Lexanne and headliners Night Horse.


Caverns

Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage Caverns @ Sonar Main Stage

From there, an abrupt mood and style shift as I headed over to mope territory at the Ottobar with Cursive and Tim Kasher’s emotive yowls headlining, and the ever-effusive Love Language opening.  To be brutally honest, I was underwhelmed by Cursive.  Progressively more adventurous in their latest efforts, to me they still fall short of capturing lightning in a bottle that was The Ugly Organ, that mixture of catchy, sappy, and adventurous that feels just right.  Sad but true.  Kasher’s bubbling stew was plenty big, but lacked much punch.

By contrast, openers The Love Language proved even more effusive than my last time seeing them. They are 2 for 2 wowing me with phenomenal live performances and presence.


Cursive

Cursive (Tim Kasher) @ the Ottobar Cursive (Tim Kasher) @ the Ottobar Cursive (Tim Kasher) @ the Ottobar Cursive @ the Ottobar Cursive (Tim Kasher) @ the Ottobar Cursive (Tim Kasher) @ the Ottobar Cursive (Tim Kasher) @ the Ottobar

Contest: Cursive, The Love Language, Deleted Scenes @ the Ottobar (2009.08.08)

cursive

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Cursive – Art Is Hard from The Ugly Organ (2003)
MP3: The Love Language – Nightdogs from The Love Language (2009)
MP3: Deleted Scenes – Ithaca from Birdseed Shirt (2009)

Commenter Emily is the winner!  Check your email!

There’s this great show coming up at the Ottobar.

A little label called Saddle Creek has some band called Cursive that is coming through town, with phenomenal openers The Love Language and DC-locals Deleted Scenes.

Thanks to Monozine, we’ve got two pairs of tickets to giveaway to the two most creative and compelling commenters on this post. Have at it.  Winners will be chosen at 5PM the day before the show.

Photos / Live Review: Elvis Perkins, Those Darlins @ the Ottobar (2009.06.18)

_MG_4557

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Elvis Perkins – May Day!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Elvis Perkins in Dreamland – Doomsday

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Those Darlins – Wild One

All photos: Greg Szeto

Not to be reductionist by any means, but if you’ve ever wondered whether riot grrl attitude would mesh well with honky-tonk country, look no farther than Tennessee’s Those Darlins.  Much more than that simple formula, they now stand as one of my top 5 favorite finds in an opening act over the past few years.  A commanding presence, immensely catchy music bolstered by tight playing.  A country-fried approach that goes beyond a simple aesthetic, something clearly oozing out of their pores and roots, they present a vital take on country that is fresh and electric.

My ears have suffered far too long under sterilized country radio, and clearly, they feel the same way: their sound is rooted in that of traditional country pillars like the Carter Family, and reflects the common bond that first brought them together and fueled their musical mission.  Their stage chemistry is phenomenal and exudes a perfect mix of sassy sexuality and confidence.  Their sound has grown greatly from their simpler roots, embracing blues and garage rock swagger and riffage to make their music deadly and more immediate than a boot to the nuts. They just released their debut LP and it’s a rollicking good time.  I would say they are a don’t miss act if ever you see them coming through your neck of the woods.

Elvis Perkins is now, in my mind, one of the unquestionably great singer/songwriters to emerge in the past decade.  He is as affecting and intimate as he is versatile and showmanlike.  My first exposure to him was opening for Okkervil River the last time they stopped by the Ottobar. He made them look like amateurs.  Perkins then was on the heels of his mournful LP Ash Wednesday, and was moving beyond words.  Effectively, an emotional demolitions expert.

His latest, self-titled LP, is a more balanced and lush affair, bright but only in contrast to Ash, and never excessively so.  He truly wows with his gorgeous aural textures and penchant for diverse instrumentation and sounds.  What’s more astounding is that he manages to effectively transport all this to the live experience, his backing band rallying about him as they hop around the stage with horns and drums in tow, blaring (highlights: “Shampoo,” “Doomsday”).  An ebullient and engaging affair that feels like going to see the musical equivalent of an acrobatic circus.  The show brought to mind the magnitude of childlike wonder that Sigur Ros effuses, but with a heaping dose of world-weary maturity and sagacity.

It would seem that Perkins has traded in some of his crushing emotional weight for a more whimsical bent, and it is a welcome bit of leavening.  Some his earlier work suffers with these changes, losing much of their resonance (“While you were sleeping”); thankfully, others take new life (“May Day”).  From all this, the overall impression you walk away left with is that you’ve witnessed something undeniably special, and you can’t help but wonder where Perkins will take us next.
Read the rest…

Preview: Titus Andronicus, Here We Go Magic @ the Ottobar

titus-andronicus

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Titus Andronicus – Titus Andronicus

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Here We Go Magic – Tunnelvision

Do yourselves a favor and check out this show.  Tonight, the Ottobar plays host to two noteworthy bands.

Here We Go Magic deliver a mesmerizing brand of folk, their catalog full of growers ready-made for stargazing, drowning in melodies possessed of a mystical, shimmering quality and mastermind Luke Temple’s by turns lofty and earthy-warm vocals.

But Titus Andronicus is likely to be the highlight for the night.  Their music rips along like a happy dervish, an infectious offspring full of shoegaze, garage, punk and pop that can easily feel flat or contrived when listening to a recording.  Those reservations should be effectively lifted, if the buzz around their live show is to be believed.

Doors at 8PM, show at 9PM, $10 cover.